Antonelli, finishing ahead of Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in the Ardennes hills, has regained a comfortable championship lead, with 45 point now separating the 19-year-old and seven-time world champion. Russell is now 50 points behind his teenage teammate after Lap 1 DNF caused by a collision with Hamilton.

While Mercedes maintain a healthy lead in the Constructors - now boasting 358 points to Ferrari's 285 - reliability has been a weakness for the Brackley-based team, while Wolff has also identified battling, or "yo-yoing" between Antonelli and Russell as another potential weak point, with the likes of Hamilton still very much in the championship picture.

Speaking to media, including GPblog, Wolff was asked whether Antonelli's now 45-point advantage in the championship was reason enough to start issuing team orders should Russell be ahead of his teammate.

Pointing to the Barcelona GP, when battling between Russell and Antonelli's played a role in Hamilton's maiden Ferrari win, Wolff responded: "After the learning that we had in Barcelona, the kind of mission that we set for today is that we are not going to lose time with each other.

Wolff stressed Mercedes will "never take a victory away" from either driver, emphasising as strong a focus on the Constructors' as with the Drivers'. He continued: "If it meant that Kimi or George were ahead, this is what we would do.

Reacting to Russell saying that he is now "numb to disappointment" following his latest case of bad luck in 2026, Wolff has expressed hope that the Briton can bounce back, reinforcing the honour it is to drive for the Silver Arrows.

Speaking to GPblog among other media, Wolff said: "You have to understand that the driver is very emotional when these situations happen.